About Me
Interests
People, nature, Buddhism, meditation, music, nonviolent communication, Focusing, local food, farming, forestry, land, communities, grassroots responses to peak oil and climate change, permaculture.
Free time
Music, ceilidhs, craic, books, poetry, fires, hills, getting out and about.
Work 1990 - 2009
Music journalist, Edinburgh University Student newspaper, internship BBC Radio Highland, Teacher of English as a Foreign Language; reporter at: The Berwickshire News; Press and Journal; Newsflash agency; The Scotsman. Press officer at: The Forestry Commission; the Scotland Office; Cairngorms National Park Authority.
2009 - 2014
Freelance journalist and communications consultant with clients including Transition Black Isle, the Cairngorms National Park Authority, Highland Birchwoods, Community Energy Scotland, the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust, Leopard Magazine and Scotland Outdoors.
Present
Learning to live well with my bipolar disorder.
Languages
Italian, Spanish, some Gaelic, Arabic.
Qualifications
- Edinburgh University - MA Hons Linguistics (2:1)
- Royal Society of Arts- Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language
- National Council for the Training of Journalists - Proficiency in Newspaper Journalism
- Government Information Service - training in government communications, strategic communications, management, presentation skills, facilitation.
Training
- Training for Transition, Train the Trainers, Transition Network, Totnes, 2009.
- Group Training Certificate, Stonebow Training Solutions, August 2011.
- Week-long retreat in Nonviolent Communications, September 2011 plus two weekends.
- Joanna Macy Work That Reconnects week, Findhorn, June 2013.
- Permaculture Design Certificate, completed 2013.
- Community Leadership Programme, 2014.
- Breathworks Mindfulness for Health course, 2015.
- Mindfulness based cognitive therapy course, January - March 2016.
- Focusing retreat, Dhanakosa, February 2016.
- Focusing Retreat, Taraloka, October 2016.
- Breathworks Mindfulness Introductory Teacher Training, November 2017.
- Breathworks Mindfulness Advanced Teacher Training, September 2018.